Monday, October 10, 2011

Yesterday sweet Em (aka Vintage Sweetheart) kindly gave me three vintage tea towels. My favourite (and if you're an Aussie, particularly a Queenslander I know you'll totally get why) is this one

Awesome in oh so many ways...

The Low on Flo...

Florence Isabel Bjelke-Petersen, member of the Australian Senate from 1981-1993 and widow of the longest serving Premier of Queensland, Sir Joh.

Here they are on their wedding day in 1952

When asked to name the greatest event of her life Flo answered getting married.

"I thought I'd reached the stage where I was going to be on the shelf"

On the shelf! She was only 31!

(Lucy Violet was 37 when she got married btw)

Flo (or more correctly, Lady Bjelke-Petersen) was famous for greeting journalists and dignitaries with a cup of tea and pumpkin scones, yep, this is where the tea towel comes in...I have never tried Flo's iconic recipe, have you? I'd love to know what they taste like if you have.

Flo is 91 years old and she still has her Driver's Licence (amazing!). Here's a pic of Flo and those famous pumpkin scones taken to clebrate her 90th birthday last year

image The Courier-Mail

I love her secret to reaching ninety "keep your brain working and I do believe that is good, instead of having it rusticating here at home all the time"

Rusticate just sounds like the perfect word for an Australian accent, I love it, and shall endeavour to use it today. Pumpkin scones don't sound that appealing, but then I had pumpkin pie for the first time yesterday (Canadian neighbour, Thanksgiving) and it wasn't as grim as I've always anticipated. Never let it be said I won't try things!

Anyway, lovely teatowel from Em, how kind. I just got approached to 'review' teatowels would you believe, but I'm not sure as a first sponsored post it's quite what my blog is about! What do you think? I suppose I could slip it in somewhere. They're new rather than vintage, but they do have some nice designs and post worldwide - shall I send him your way?